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It's Been a Lovely Summer for GMO Safety

The past few months have given me quite a few reasons to break out my I Love GMOs shirt.

First in May, the National Academy of Sciences released a comprehensive 388-page report concluding GMOs are safe for humans and animals to eat.

This is the latest report confirming that there is no reason to worry about eating GMOs. They’re safe, healthy and often delicious. With more than 1,700 studies demonstrating their safety, GMOs are among the most studied subject in science.

Then in June, Sí Quiero Transgénicos, a biotech advocacy group, found that more than 275 organizations and scientific institutions support the safety of GM crops. These include the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Daniel Norero, of Sí Quiero Transgénicos, wrote, “In the scientific community there is no dispute or controversy regarding the safety of these crops.”

Most excitedly, a group of 107 Nobel laureates signed a letter endorsing GMOs. They wrote, “Scientific and regulatory agencies around the world have repeatedly and consistently found crops and foods improved through biotechnology to be as safe as, if not safer than those derived from any other method of production.”

In particular, the Nobels urged people to get behind Golden Rice, an exciting GMO crop being developed to prevent Vitamin-A deficiency.

The Nobels write, “The World Health Organization estimates that 250 million people, suffer from VAD, including 40 percent of the children under five in the developing world. Based on UNICEF statistics, a total of one to two million preventable deaths occur annually as a result of VAD, because it compromises the immune system, putting babies and children at great risk. VAD itself is the leading cause of childhood blindness globally affecting 250,000 - 500,000 children each year. Half die within 12 months of losing their eyesight.”

Now, more than ever, it seems difficult to question the safety of GMOs.

Elizabeth Held is a director at the White House Writers Group, where she advises food and agriculture clients.